First US Zika-Related Death Confirmed

According to health officials in Utah, infection with the Zika virus contributed to the death of an elderly resident late last month. Little information about the patient has been released, but it has been confirmed that: the patient had an underlying medical condition and the virus was contracted through travel to an area of the world where Zika is circulating.

The CDC reports about 1,132 travel-related cases of Zika, but no locally transmitted cases in the United States to date. The virus has been linked to serious neurological conditions and severe birth defects in babies born to mothers who become infected during pregnancy.

Neither of the mosquito types that transmit Zika—Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus—are found in Utah. Infection usually causes only mild symptoms, most commonly fever, rash, joint pain, and pinkeye.